Major release for fans of Sun’s virtualization solution for Linux, Solaris, and Mac OS X

VirtualBox icon

Fans of the virtualization software from Sun Microsystems should learn that VirtualBox 3.0 now delivers OpenGL 2.0 support, as well as support for Windows 7 guests. Sun claims this is a major update also because version 3.0.0 introduces Symmetrical Multiprocessing (SMP) in virtual machines and much improved 3D support.

“Sun today released VirtualBox 3.0.0, a major update introducing Symmetrical Multiprocessing (SMP) in virtual machines as well as much improved 3D support,” Sun announces. The company behind the Java platform invites fans to check out the changelog for a full disclosure of 3.0.0 changes.

On the respective page, Sun again notes that VirtualBox 3.0.0 is a major update, listing the following “major” changes with the software:

- Guest SMP with up to 32 virtual CPUs (VT-x and AMD-V only; see chapter 3.7.2.2 of the user manual);

- Windows guests: ability to use Direct3D 8/9 applications / games (experimental; see chapter 4.8 of the user manual);

- Support for OpenGL 2.0 for Windows, Linux and Solaris guests.

Additional changes include tons of fixes for Solaris and Linux hosts and just one fix on the Mac OS X side listed as “ﬁxed guest PAE.”

For those who are not familiar with the abbreviation, Wikipedia reveals that (in computing) Physical Address Extension (PAE) is a feature of some x86 and x86-64 processors that enable the use of more than four gigabytes of physical memory to be used in 32-bit systems, given appropriate operating system support. Provided by Intel Pentium Pro and above CPUs (including all later Pentium-series processors, except the 400 MHz bus versions of the Pentium M), as well as by some compatible processors such as the Athlon and later models from AMD, PAE enabling (by setting bit 5, PAE, of the system register CR4) causes major changes to the two-level page translation scheme.